Tried and tested: vintage beauty and fascinator workshop

How would you fancy spending a whole day learning about vintage make-up and hairstyles and have someone show you how to make a fascinator? QueensOfVintage.com editor Lena Weber has tried and tested a vintage beauty and a fascinator making workshop.

As a huge vintage enthusiast I felt more than excited to spend a whole day devoted to not one but two of my favourite vintage topics: beauty and fascinators.

It wasn’t quite so hard then to skip my usual Saturday lie-in and head to a studio in London’s Elephant and Castle area for 10am. A group of girls of all ages and different backgrounds, some real vintage enthusiasts, some rockabilly fans, some burlesque performers and some just curious, were already sitting around a huge table with cups of coffee and biscuits.

Make-up artist and beauty queen Ruby Rose, looking gorgeous with Rita Hayworth-esque hair and perfect Forties make-up, started the class with some basic vintage hair styles. In simple, easy steps she explained how to do victory rolls and barrel curls, both hair styles I had wanted to be able to do for some time.

As we all got trying to get the techniques right, Ruby helped out and suggested slightly different variations for short or curly hair.

Next, Ruby deomstrated how adding a scarf to your hair or tying a turban, again something I had been wondering about, could easily transform a hair style in a couple of minutes, transforming your look from so-so into vintage glam without much effort.

I also loved that she had brought along her heated curlers and let us have a play around with them, demonstrating how to use them to get a Fifties Marilyn do or Forties Veronica Lake waves.

As Ruby explained: “Unfortunately heated curlers never come with instructions on how to use them correctly and how to not end up with random curls. It’s all about rolling up your hair in the direction you would like it to fall.” Suddenly it at made sense, and needless to say I’m currently bidding on a great set of curlers on Ebay.

DYING to book onto this but can’t get any of the links to work. Found something on Facebook about Tricia Cox, but it looks quite old as the last course showing was June 2009. Have tried both the links on here but can only get Ruby Rose’s classes.

Where can I find the combined vintage make up and fascinator course details please? Thanks!

Really fabulous information… tried to click through on the link and it doesn’t seem to be working but we’ll find another way of getting through. The course looks great fun and the make-up and styling is extraordinarily authentic!
Really glad we found Queens of VIntage x